Raiders bounce back for victory

Girls' basketball: Ryle 70, Holy Cross 59

By Marc Hardin • Enquirer contributor • January 29, 2011

Now is not a good time for the Ryle girls' basketball team to be going into a slump, not with rival Boone County looming on the schedule next week in a district seeding game.

So when the Raiders stumbled Friday against Highlands in a loss that ended their seven-game winning streak, Ryle coach Patti Oliverio commanded her team to take care of business on Saturday against Holy Cross so the Raiders could begin the new week with a fresh start.

Mission accomplished.

The Raiders, ranked first in the Enquirer Northern Kentucky coaches' poll, rallied to defeat 10th-ranked Holy Cross 70-59 at Ryle.

Abby Jump hit a pair of 3-pointers and led the Raiders (14-4) with 25 points.

"We told the girls before the game that championship teams don't lose two straight games," Oliverio said. "We said championship teams learn from a loss and bounce back to where they were."

Ryle's Ashley Cheesman, the area's free-throw shooting percentage leader, sank 15 shots from the line and added 17 points, including the go-ahead basket on a free throw with 5:49 to play.

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